Mary M. Marshall

Mary Marshall, a longtime resident of Arlington, Texas and recently of Christus St. Joseph’s Assisted Living Village in Coppell, Texas, passed away on December 22, 2022 at the age of 95. She lived a long and glorious life; she was a kind and giving person, always wanting to help others.

Mary was born in Henryetta, Oklahoma and was raised in Cheyenne, Oklahoma along with her 4 brothers and 1 sister. She graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in Education, where she met and married Marion (M. L.) Marshall, who preceded her in death. They had a loving and prosperous marriage of 58 years. M. L.’s job required the family to move around the country and Mary began her teaching career in Oklahoma City, before moving to Memphis, where she taught and concurrently earned a Masters’ Degree from Memphis State University. She continued teaching in Virginia and finally in Arlington, Texas, where she retired from Duff Elementary School after teaching for a total of 27 years. Mary was the ultimate educator, also teaching CCD classes at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church, where she and M. L. were faithful members for many years. She worked with young adults who had chosen to become Catholic and desired classes in the Catholic faith. She and M. L. also chose to donate their bodies to U. T. Southwestern Medical School as a final act in furthering the education of others.

Mary was an avid reader and volunteered with ‘Friends of the Arlington Public Library’ where she sorted books and helped with the annual book sales for many years. She also loved to travel and after retirement, she and M. L. traveled the world, visiting the less popular tourist sites but always studying and learning about other cultures. They instilled this love of travel and seeing the world in their family.

Mary was an artist at heart. She was an extremely creative person across a variety of artforms. Some of these included things such as painting with watercolors and acrylics, toll painting, sewing doll clothes, making hand sewn santas, as well as making costumes for her 5th graders in Shakespearean plays. Her inspiration was felt by many. Mary’s creative genes carry forward in her children and her grandchildren.

Mary was a passionate bridge player and played monthly with a group of friends in Arlington. She also loved to host her sisters-in-law from Harrah, Oklahoma for marathon bridge playing weekends. They would stop to eat and attend mass, but did little else besides play bridge for hours on end. They all enjoyed and looked forward to those times together. Mary also was instrumental in organizing a family reunion of M. L.’s family, which numbered 80+, each summer at Lake Texoma. She started ‘Family Olympic Games’ to encourage fun interaction across the span of generations. She was always organizing something!

She dedicated her life to her family, friends, and the Catholic Church. Mary is survived by her children, Larry (Lisa), Jamie (Johnny), and Joan (Tom). She leaves 5 grandchildren (Ashley Leftwich, Kyle Smith, Drew Smith, Emma Marshall, and Ben Marshall), and 4 great grandchildren (Smith Leftwich, Greer Leftwich, Dexter Smith, and Fletch Smith). She also leaves behind many relatives and friends in Oklahoma and Texas. Although we grieve the loss of our beloved mom/grandmom/GGmom – our memories will always be with us. She enriched so many lives; we celebrate her spirit and carry a piece of her in our hearts always.

The family asks that any memorial donations be made to:
St. Gregory’s Abbey 1900 W. MacArthur Street
Shawnee, Oklahoma 74804
Director of Donor Relations, Mary Kay Swenson (817) 965-4881